JP2003133243A - Modular injector and exhaust assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an improved injector for delivering gases, more particularly, a modular injector and exhaust assembly. SOLUTION: The injector and exhaust assembly for delivering gases to a substrate is provided. The injector and exhaust assembly according to the present invention comprises at least two injectors, which are adjacently spaced from each other so that at least one exhaust channel is formed therebetween, and further comprises an installation board for fixing at least the two injectors and each of at least the two injectors can be individually installed on or removed from the installation board which is provided with at least one exhaust slot fluid-communicating to at least one exhaust channel. The exhaust assembly is coupled with the installation board so as to remove exhaust gas from the injector.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to gas injectors for gas delivery, and more particularly, to modular gas delivery injectors / facilitators that promote substantially uniform gas distribution.
Regarding the discharge assembly.

[0002]

Gas supply is an important processing step in the manufacture of semiconductor devices. Gas is supplied to process semiconductors using various semiconductor manufacturing equipment. As one such example, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system is used that carries a gas that deposits a layer of material such as an oxide film on a semiconductor substrate or wafer by thermal reaction or pyrolysis.

One important component of many types of semiconductor manufacturing systems is the injector used to supply the gas to the substrate. For example, in a CVD system, the gas must be dispersed over the substrate to react the gas and deposit the desired film or layer on the substrate surface. One purpose of the injector is to deliver gas to a desired location in a controlled and reproducible manner. Pre-mixing and pre-reaction of the gas can be minimized when the gas is distributed in a controlled manner, thus maximizing the opportunity for a substantially complete, efficient, homogeneous reaction of the gas. . If the gas flow is uncontrolled, the chemistry will not be optimized, resulting in a nonuniform film composition and / or thickness. When this happens, the proper function of the semiconductor may be impaired and a failure may occur. Therefore, it is desirable to have an injector design that can facilitate gas delivery in a controlled and substantially uniform manner.

Many design types have been developed that take into account the importance of the injector. Two examples of prior art injector assemblies are described in US Pat. No. 6,0, which is incorporated herein by reference.
No. 22,414 and No. 6,200,389. These U.S. patents disclose an elongated linear unitary injector with multiple gas outlets extending along the length of the injector. Also,
An injector assembly with multiple injector heads formed in a single block of material is also disclosed.
While these injectors have proven to be good designs, the manufacture of these multi-head single-body injector assemblies is costly. Each injector is continuously machined (using wire EDM) with the same single material billet, thus requiring long manufacturing times.

For throughput, it is often desired to use multiple injectors. The use of a single body injector assembly increases the number of injector heads and therefore manufacturing time. Long manufacturing times and high costs impede the iterative design of injector structures that improve overall process results. Also, during each successive manufacturing process, there is a high tendency to expose all of the multiple injector heads to a single manufacturing error. Therefore, there is a need for a superior injector assembly that facilitates ease of manufacture and assembly.

In addition to the injector, an exhaust system, which is typically coupled to the injector assembly to remove gas,
It plays an important role in promoting a substantially uniform and / or controlled delivery of gas to the substrate. There is an ongoing effort in the art to develop superior exhaust systems, and more particularly systems that remove gas in a substantially uniform manner. As the number of injectors and thus the complexity of the exhaust system increases, problems such as exhaust gas flow balancing arise. Since a large number of injectors are desirable for high throughput, there is also a need to develop a good exhaust system.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One object of the present invention is to provide an improved injector for supplying gas. More specifically, one object of the present invention is to provide a modular gas supply injector / exhaust assembly.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is one or more inner injector heads that are spaced apart from one another to form an exhaust channel therebetween. An injector assembly is provided that is configured to be deployed. One or more end injector heads are further provided, and the end injector heads are spaced apart and adjacent to the outside of the injector heads to form an exhaust channel with the injector heads. . Furthermore, a mounting plate is provided,
The mounting plate is provided with a plurality of fixing holes for individually fixing the injector head and the end injector head, and the indicator head and the end injector head are individually attached to and detached from the injector assembly. .

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the injector assembly further includes an exhaust assembly coupled to the mounting plate for removing gas from the injector head. A particularly advantageous advantage of the present invention is that it can be ejected separately from the inner injector head and the end injector head. This can facilitate controlled emission of gas even when the system configuration is unbalanced.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a drainage assembly is provided that includes a lower drainage plate coupled to a mounting plate.
The lower discharge plate is formed with a tapered discharge channel extending along a substantially long length of the lower discharge plate. The upper discharge plate is connected to the lower discharge plate. The upper exhaust plate is formed with an exhaust port which extends along a substantially long length of the upper exhaust plate and which terminates in a dual port on the top surface of the upper exhaust plate. It has the shape of an enlarged opening. The tapered exhaust channel and the exhaust port are in fluid communication with the exhaust channel of the injector assembly.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, the exhaust assembly further includes an outer exhaust manifold in fluid communication with the injector head and an inner exhaust manifold assembly in fluid communication with the inner injector head. In one embodiment, the inner exhaust manifold comprises a plate having a plurality of through passages formed therein. A plurality of tubes are provided, the tubes being connected to each through passage and the balancing unit. The balancing unit has multiple tube inlets and a single outlet. The balancing unit produces a balanced exhaust flow even if the injector assembly has an odd or unbalanced number of exhaust channels.

[0012]

Other objects and advantages of the present invention are:
It will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Generally speaking, the present invention provides a chemical or gas modular injector / exhaust assembly capable of gas distribution along a length, and more particularly along the length of the injector, And, a plurality of individual injectors are provided that cooperate to form an injector / exhaust assembly that addresses the shortcomings of the prior art. The injector assembly of the present invention includes a plurality of injector heads that cooperate to form an assembly that supplies one or more gaseous chemicals to a semiconductor wafer or substrate during processing. The injector head of the present invention has one or more axially aligned passages for delivering one or more gases to the delivery surface through one or more distribution channels.
The assembly of the present invention further comprises at least two end injector heads, with each end end injector head located at opposite ends of the assembly. The end injector head also has one or more axially aligned passages for delivering one or more gases to the delivery surface through one or more distribution channels. In one embodiment, the assembly further includes a mounting plate to which a plurality of injector heads are secured for positioning and cooperating with individual injectors. An exhaust system for exhausting or removing the gas supplied by the injector is connected to the mounting plate.

With particular reference to FIG. 1, a modular injector assembly 120 according to one embodiment of the present invention will now be described.
Is shown in a schematic sectional view. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the assembly 120 has a total of six individual injector heads 122a-122d; 124a, 124b. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the assembly 120 can be configured with any number of injectors to deliver the desired chemistry to the substrate 121 (FIG. 3) located proximate to the injector assembly 120. . The six injector heads are the inner injector heads 122a.
˜122d and end injector heads 124a, 124b located at each distal end of the assembly along the X axis. All injector heads 122a-122d; 1
24a and 124b are arranged and fixed to a mounting plate 126. The mounting plate 126 is sufficiently rigid to support the weight of the injector head and maintain its position. The mounting plate 126 is connected to the ejection system 130, which is described in detail below. Injector / not shown
The entire discharge assembly is described, for example, in US Pat. No. 6,022,4.
No. 14, 6,200,389 and US patent application Ser. No. 09 / 757,542, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, contained within a system such as CVD.

In one embodiment, inner injector heads 122a-122d and end injector heads 124.
a, 124b (sometimes collectively referred to as "injectors"), exhaust channels 134a-134e.
Are arranged such that they are formed between each end injector head and adjacent injectors and between adjacent injectors. For example, the first end injector 124a
And a first injector 122a, a first discharge channel 134a is formed. Second discharge channel 134b
However, the first injector 122a and the second injector 12
It is formed between 2b. Third discharge channel 134
c is the second injector 122b and the third injector 1
22c. Fourth discharge channel 13
4d is formed between the third injector 122c and the fourth injector 122d. Fifth discharge channel 1
34e is formed between the 4th injector 122d and the 2nd end injector 124b. The injector head 122 and the end injectors 124 extend into the mounting plate 126 at the height of the injector with the discharge channel along the Y-axis. The inner injector heads and end injector heads have corresponding ejector slots 132 and ejector systems or assemblies 1 in which each ejector channel 134 is formed in a mounting plate 126, as described in detail below.
It is fixed to the mounting plate 126 so as to be aligned with 30.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each injector head 122a-122d includes one or more injector heads 122a-122d extending in the lengthwise direction of the injector along the Z-axis (shown in the plane of the paper of FIG. 1). It has an elongated passage 150. A distribution channel 152 extends from each elongated passage 150 to the drug supply surface 154. Each distribution channel 152 extending from each elongated passage 150 converges in a region 156 formed in the supply surface 154. The region 156 can be formed in a concave shape as shown in FIGS. Alternatively, area 15
6 may be formed flat or may be concave. Distribution channel 1
52, region 156 and supply surface 154 can be formed along the length of injector head 122. In another embodiment, one or more elongated passages 1 are provided to prevent one or more reactants from spanning the entire length of the injector.
50 and / or distribution channel 152 can be restricted at these ends (eg, by occlusion, plugging and / or filling). This limits the span of the reaction process in the deposition area to within the length of the injector and minimizes the occurrence of the reaction process through the edge of the wafer 121.

Referring again to FIG. 2, gas inlet end caps 160, 162 are connected to each end of the injector for supplying gas to the injector assembly 120,
A gaseous chemical can be supplied to the elongated passage 150. Each end cap 160, 162 is provided with one or more openings 163 that match either passage 150. The end cap allows the passage of gas through the opening 163.
It is fixed to a gas supply inlet (not shown) for supplying into 50. The opening 163 is provided at each end cap 160 or 16
It is important to note that the gases do not have to be in the same pattern at 2, and that the gas is delivered into the passage 150 from one or both ends of the injector based on the placement of the openings 163 at each end cap. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, end cap 160 has two openings 163 aligned with passageways 150b, 150c and end cap 162 has one opening 163 aligned with passageway 150a. A seal 164 is arranged between the injector head and each end cap 160, 162 to form an airtight seal. The seal 164 may be formed of a brazing material, in which case the brazing material melts during the brazing process and the end caps 160, 162 are brazed to the injector head to form a single body. Alternatively, the end caps 160, 162 can be secured to the injector head by rivets, bolts, pins or any other means for securing metal elements.

To deposit a layer or film of material on the substrate 121, reactive gas is conveyed to the gas supply surface 154 through the passages and distribution channels. A particular advantage is that the gas can be carried separately in each passage 150 and each channel 152. This minimizes gas premixing and / or prereaction. Gas is in area 156
The gas mixes and reacts in the region of the gas supply surface 154 to deposit a layer of material on the surface of the substrate 121. For example, when depositing silicon oxide, silane and oxygen or TEOS and ozone are supplied to each passage 150.
It can be transported independently inside. In addition, purge gas such as nitrogen can be separately conveyed in the one or more passages 150. The purge gas can be used to isolate one deposition from adjacent areas and can help prevent pre-reaction of the reactive gas. Alternatively, one or more passageways 15 may be provided to minimize the formation of deposits within the injector assembly 120.
0 can also be configured to supply an etchant species.

The supply surface 154 extends in both directions from the recessed area to the outer edges 158a, 158b of the injector head to form a large surface area, thereby exposing the exposed product or substrate 121 (eg, a silicon wafer) 121 to gas. And large chemical reactions can be carried out. The elongated passageway 150 may be provided with a metering tube 172 to aid in uniform gas distribution through the elongated passageway. In one embodiment, the injector may be provided with one or more additional elongated passages 174 formed along the length within the injector to circulate a cooling fluid that controls the temperature of the injector.

In one embodiment, the injector head 12
4a and 124b are configured to supply a purge gas during vapor deposition. The flow of purge gas is preferably
Acts to form an inert gas barrier or semi-seal 176 between the area under the injector heads 124a, 124b and the substrate 121, allowing the reactive gas to escape from the deposition area and to cause other parts of the CVD apparatus (not shown). Or substantially prevent it from flowing into the surrounding environment. The end injector heads 124a, 124b also have a length that protrudes toward the substrate surface and forms a small gap area around the injector assembly between the protrusion and the substrate, providing a "semi-seal". Is forming. This semi-seal helps minimize the diffusion of reactive species from the desired processing area. In another embodiment, the end injector head 1
24 may also be configured to provide an etchant species that minimizes formation of vapor deposition within injector assembly 120.

As mentioned above, the present invention provides a modular injector assembly 120. Each injector head is a separate piece, arranged and individually mounted to form the assembly 120. This gives great flexibility. The individual injector heads 122, 124 can be entirely replaced or removed. Additional injector heads 122,124 can also be added. Different types of injector heads 122, 124 can also be used to create different deposition patterns. This allows the chamber structure of the system to be modified, optimized and / or adapted for different applications. Injectors 122a to 122d
Can be replaced with one injector that spans the entire area occupied by these injectors 122a-122d, creating an injector with a gas delivery surface 154 having a large length. This allows the use of chemicals and reactions that require very long residence times in the process reactor.

More particularly, the modular features of the present invention are shown in more detail in FIGS. Generally, injector assembly 120 is mounted to mounting plate 126. As mentioned above, as a particular advantage, the present invention provides for each injector head 122, 124 to mount plate 126.
To provide individual mounting technology. In one embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the mounting plate 126 includes a flange 13 forming an upper surface.
3 has a concave trough formed of side walls 131 with a bottom surface 135. One or more ejection slots 132 and a plurality of fixing holes 178 are formed in the bottom surface 35. The exhaust slot 132 extends along the Z-axis along a large length of the mounting plate 126 and is in fluid communication with each exhaust channel 134 of the injector assembly 120. The fixing hole 178 is arranged over the entire bottom surface 135, and the injector heads 122, 12 are provided.
4 and the discharge plate described later are fixed to the mounting plate 126. Although one embodiment of mounting plate 126 is shown, one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that
It will be appreciated that the mounting plate 126 can be configured in other configurations, such as a flat plate with ejection slots and locking holes, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

A discharge assembly 130 is connected to the mounting plate 126, as shown in detail in FIGS. The eject assembly 130 includes a lower eject plate 140 and an upper eject plate 14.
2, an outer exhaust manifold 146, and an inner exhaust manifold assembly 148. In general, the lower and upper exhaust plates 140, 142 have the function of directly interfering with the injector exhaust channels 134 to remove gas from the injector assembly. Outer and inner exhaust manifolds 146, 148 function to balance the exhaust flow of gas from the end and center portions of the injector assembly, facilitating controlled and substantially uniform exhaust of gas.

The lower discharge plate 140 is shown in detail in FIG. 6 and in cross-section in FIG. Generally, the lower drain plate 140 is formed with one or more drain channels 136 having an outwardly tapered shape. The tapered discharge channel 136 is elongated and extends along the Z-axis for a large length of the lower discharge plate 140. For each ejection slot 134 of the injector assembly 120,
One tapered drain channel 136 is provided.
The lower discharge plate 140 is fixed in the mounting plate 126 (see FIG. 1).
And the tapered ejection channel 136 aligns with the ejection channel 132 formed in the mounting plate 126 and the ejection slot 134 formed between the adjacent injector heads 122, 124. It is placed against. The tapered drainage channel 136 tapers outwardly in a substantially linear manner such that the base adjacent the mounting plate 126 is narrow and then the top adjacent the upper discharge plate 142 is wide. ing. In another embodiment, the tapered exhaust channel 13
6 can be formed in a tapered shape in a contour mode other than the linear mode. For example, a wide contoured opening may be located at the upper end of channel 136. In some applications, it is beneficial to have a high suction force at the ends of the injector to reduce non-uniform deposition on the substrate near the edges that traverse under the injector.

The tapered exhaust channel 136 of the lower exhaust plate 140 is also aligned with the exhaust port 210 of the upper exhaust plate 142 which is connected adjacent to the lower exhaust plate 140. As a result, one substantially continuous exhaust gas flow path is formed from the gas supply surface 154 through the lower and upper discharge plates. The upper discharge plate 142 is disposed on the lower discharge plate 140 and is fixed to the mounting plate 126 at a predetermined position. The securing holes are configured to receive bolts, rivets, pins or any other means for securing the upper and lower ejection plates to the mounting plate.

As a particular advantage, the present invention provides gas removal in a controlled and / or substantially uniform manner. More specifically, the present invention provides for the discharge of gas from a "line source" to a "point source". That is, the gas is
Lower and upper discharge plates 1 along the length of the injector (ie line source), via discharge channels 134.
Through 40, 142 to the outlet port 210 (ie, point source) at the top of the upper discharge plate 142.

This feature will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 7 to 9. As previously mentioned, the exhaust channel 136 of the lower exhaust plate 140 tapers outwardly, which creates a large volume for exhaust gas. Upper discharge plate 1
42 has one or more discharge ports 210 penetrating the second discharge plate 142. Injector assembly 1
As shown in FIG. 8, which is a sectional view taken along the length direction of 20,
The port 210a has a wide, elongated open end 213 at its proximal end.
And the open end 213 extends along the Z-axis along a large length of the upper discharge plate 142, and then preferably two (ie, double) top surfaces 212 of the upper discharge plate 142.
Of the narrow ports 210a1 and 210a2 are tapered inward. Although two ports are shown, other embodiments may use only one port or more than one port. In order to promote a substantially uniform exhaust flow, the dual exhaust ports 210a1, 21
0a2 is arranged such that the two inner cavities 216a, 216b are separated by the central portion 220, and each cavity 216a, 216b has a length L of the wide end 213 of each discharge port that is tapered discharge of the first discharge plate 140. It tapers to be substantially equal to one-half the length of the channel 136. In a preferred embodiment, the aspect ratio (aspect ratio) of the height and width of the discharge passage from the wafer surface to the beginning of the double outlet of the upper discharge plate is about 0.6 or more.

The upper discharge plate 142 includes the upper discharge plate 14
2 and the lower ejector plate 140 and mounting plate 126 are secured and aligned to form a locking hole 178 for aligning all drainage slots and channels and ensuring a hermetic seal of the entire assembly. A discharge tube mounting hole 214 is formed around each discharge port 210,
A discharge tube (described later) can be fixed to the upper discharge plate 142 so that an airtight seal is formed.

A particular advantage is that the discharge system 13 of the present invention.
0 further comprises means for balancing the exhaust flow from the injector heads 122a-122d and the end injector heads 124a, 124b. Providing a means for balancing the exhaust flow can greatly facilitate the flexibility and selectivity of the injector assembly 120 design. For example, providing separate exhaust manifolds in the inner and outer regions of the injector assembly allows the injector assembly to employ an unbalanced or odd number of injectors or exhaust channels (eg, five injectors). (See FIG. 1 where exhaust channels 134a-134e are provided).

More specifically, in one exemplary embodiment, exhaust system 130 further includes an outer exhaust manifold 146 and an inner exhaust manifold assembly 148, as shown in detail in FIGS. If you explain roughly,
The outer exhaust gas manifold 146 has two plates 230, each plate 230 extending over a large length of the injector assembly 120 and having two through passages 232 formed at each end of the plate 230. Have A U-shaped tube 234 is connected to each passage 232 of the plate 230. At the top of the curved section of U-tube 234,
A suitable connector 235, such as a fish mouth flange, is attached to connect the tube and plate to a common outer drain line 237.

Outer exhaust gas manifold 146 is in fluid communication with double ended injector heads 124a, 124b and is the outermost exhaust channel of injector assembly 120 (ie, exhaust channel 13 in the illustrated exemplary embodiment).
4a, 134e) to form the final exhaust flow path. More specifically, each plate 230 has a through passage 232 at each end of the plate 230 that is the outermost or end injector head 124.
a, 124b and the outer half injector 122a,
Dual exit ports 210a1, 210 matching 122d
It is attached to the upper discharge plate 142 so as to be aligned with a2 in the longitudinal direction. Since the two end injectors 124a, 124b are located at opposite ends of the injector assembly 120, the outer exhaust manifold 146 has two corresponding plates 230 and tubes 234 located at opposite ends of the upper exhaust plate 142. is doing. Plate 230 and tube 2
The two assemblies with 34 are connected together to the outer drain line 237 via a T-connector 238. Thus, the gas is removed from the end injector heads 124a, 124b and the outer injectors 122a, 122d to remove the gas from the outermost exhaust channels 134a, 134a, respectively.
134e, upwardly through the outermost discharge slots 132 of the corresponding mounting plate 126, and through the corresponding outermost discharge channels 136a, 136e of the lower and upper discharge plates, the outer discharge manifold passageway 232 and the tube 2
Out of the outer exhaust line 237 through 34 and finally to the common main exhaust duct 236.

As a great advantage, the present invention provides separate ejection of the inner and outer ejection channels of the injector assembly. Inner channels (e.g., exhaust channels 134b, 134c, 1 shown in the illustrated exemplary embodiment).
An inner exhaust manifold assembly 148 is used to provide the exhaust of 34d). The inner exhaust manifold assembly 148 is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 12-17. The inner exhaust manifold assembly 148 includes a plate 240 that extends the large length of the injector assembly 120. A plurality of through passages 242 are formed in the plate 240. As shown in FIG. 12, the through passages 242 are provided in two pairs, and each passage of one pair is formed by the plate 24.
0 are arranged at both ends in the longitudinal direction. A tube 244 is connected to each passage 242 of the plate 240, and the tube 244 connects each passage 242 to the balancing unit 246.

Similar to the outer exhaust gas manifold 146,
Inner exhaust gas manifold 148 includes inner injector heads 122a-122d and inner injector 122.
b, 122c in fluid communication with the inner halves and the inner exhaust channel (ie,
The exhaust channels 134b, 134 of the illustrated exemplary embodiment
c, 134d) forming the final exhaust flow path for gas. More specifically, the plate 240 has a through passage 242 at each end of the plate 240 having an inner injector head 122b,
It is attached to the upper discharge plate 142 in longitudinal alignment with the dual outlet ports 210a, 210b that match the discharge channels of 122c, 122d. Although the illustrated embodiment forms three inner injector heads with two (ie, dual) outlet ports for each injector, and thus six through holes 242 in plate 240,
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other constructions can be employed without departing from the scope of the invention.

To vent from the system, gas passes through the inner vent channels 134b, 134c, 134d,
The tube rises through the corresponding inner drainage slots 132 of the mounting plate 126 and exits the passageway 242 through the corresponding inner drainage channels 136b, 136c, 136d and 210b, 210c, 210d of the lower and upper drain plates, respectively. Enter in 244. Tube 244
Are connected at their other ends to the balancing unit 246. As a special advantage, the balancing unit 246 promotes a substantially uniform flow of exhaust gas, even when an odd number of exhaust channels are used.

The balancing unit 246 is shown in more detail in FIGS. 15-17B. Generally speaking, the balancing unit 246 includes a top plate 250,
It has a bottom plate 252 and a central sheet or blaze foil 254. In particular, as shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B, bottom plate 252 has a plurality of recessed channels 255 formed therein. One concave channel 255 is formed for each tube 244. Each concave channel 255
Has an inlet 256 at one end of each tube connected to the balancing unit. Each recessed channel 255 extends inwardly toward the center of the unit 246, in the center of which channel 255
The opposite end converges in the central region 258 and is provided with an outlet port 259. The outlet port 259 is connected to the inner discharge line 260 via the flange 262. The inner discharge line 260 is the valve 300 in this example.
Is connected to the main discharge duct 236 via the.

As shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B, the top plate 250 also has a plurality of concave channels 265 that converge inwardly toward a central concave region 268 of the unit. The concave channel 265 and the central region 268 of the top plate 250 are mirror images of the concave channel 255 of the bottom plate 252 except that there are no inlets or outlets.
Thus, when the top plate 250 and the bottom plate 252 are sealed, they form a plurality of channels with a plurality of inlets 256 and a single central outlet 258 in the bottom surface of the balancing unit 246.

The channels within the balancing unit 246 are in fluid communication with the exhaust gas flow from the inner injector head 122. As described above, this exhaust gas flows into the tube 244. Each tube 244 has a bottom plate 25
Two inlets 256 are connected. Gas is the inlet 256
Through the channel and out through the central outlet 258 and port 259. The gas from all of the multiple inlets 256 is delivered to and in fluid communication with a single central outlet 258 that balances the gas flow from the respective tubes so that the gas from each exhaust channel 134 of the injector assembly is The flow is balanced. In one preferred embodiment, all drainage tubes 244 have the same length and shape and balancing unit 246 ensures that each drainage path from inner port 210 to final outlet 259 has the same length. In addition to the above balancing of the inner and outer exhaust paths, the use of valve 300 allows a second mode of operation of injector 120. When the valve 300 is closed, a gas species capable of purifying reaction by-products can be introduced into the inner exhaust tube through the fish mouth flange 301.
When the valve connecting the inner exhaust tube and the main exhaust duct is closed, the purge gas is returned through the inner exhaust balancer and into the process chamber via multiple inner exhaust passages. The balancing unit serves to evenly distribute the purge gas to each exhaust path leading to the process chamber. Clean gas effluent that reacts with deposition by-products (effluent
s) is all removed via the two outer outlet channels.

In summary, the modular injector / exhaust assembly of the present invention has a single elongate body provided by an elongated passage and distribution channel. In one embodiment, the elongated passages, distribution channels and recessed regions are formed by wire EDM processing. The gas inlet end cap injector is then secured to the injector assembly by brazing, bolting or other means to form the injector body. For even distribution within each elongated channel, metering means can be provided to direct and dispense separate chemicals from individual inlets at the top of the injector body,
The drug is then directed to the supply surface. These injectors are bolted to a single mounting plate that positions the injectors relative to each other. The discharge path is formed by two injectors arranged side by side with a certain distance. The mounting plate has a discharge slot aligned with the tapered discharge channel and an additional discharge tube or duct is bolted to the top of the mounting plate and then to a discharge assembly that guides discharge by-products exiting the deposition area. It Next, a mounting plate with injectors is placed over the CVD chamber such that the injector feed surface forms the inner surface of the process chamber.

The modular injector of the present invention has advantages over prior art multi-block injectors. The manufacture of the modular injector of the present invention allows the wire EDM process to be performed in parallel with some machine tools. Modular injectors also make it possible to change the detailed geometry of the injector surface in a single unit, without time and expense.
Brazing of the end caps of the injector body can be done almost independently of the injector characteristics, thus increasing the success of the brazing process and reducing both waste and cost. The individual injectors, due to their low weight and size, facilitate prefabricated manufacturing and handling of the assembly. Electropolishing of the surface in contact with the reaction gas is facilitated by a compact, lightweight and fully exposed injector. Also, the cost of disposal due to errors, damage or other problems is very low.

The individual injectors are fixed to an interference plate (not shown) which supplies the gas, water and nitrogen feeds (not shown) and establishes the exhaust path width. The individual injector end caps prevent gas leakage at the injector ends and form a semi-seal. Since each injector is individually branched, each injector can have different chemical components based on processing needs.
The lower discharge plate can have an improved exit geometry that affects the flow field pattern of deposition gas velocity. The end injectors form an inert gas region adjacent the ends of the reactant species region and form a semi-seal at each distal end of the assembly 120. Injector channel,
The shape of the areas, feed surfaces and contours can be varied to optimize deposition rate, improved chemical efficiency and improve gas flow paths. The exhaust channels, slots and tubing improve the uniformity of the exhaust flow within the chamber.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading the present disclosure. The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments and examples of the present invention are provided for purposes of illustration and description, and the present invention has been described above with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. It is clear that the above examples are not intended to be exclusive or to limit the invention to the precise form illustrated, as many changes may be made from the above teachings. The scope of the present invention includes those disclosed in the present application and the claims and their equivalents.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the modular drug injector assembly of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a simplified assembly view of one embodiment of a single modular ejector head according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the multi-injector head and one end injector of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of an injector assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a mounting plate according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above.

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of a first (lower) discharge plate according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of a second (upper) discharge plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a cross-sectional view of the second discharge plate taken along the line AA ′ in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a bottom view showing the second discharge plate according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 shows an injector / according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the ejection assembly seen from above.

FIG. 11 is a simplified side view of one embodiment of an outer ejection manifold according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a top perspective view of an inner ejection manifold assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional side view of an inner exhaust manifold assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14A is a plan view of one embodiment of a bottom plate of an inner exhaust manifold assembly according to the present invention.

FIG. 14B is a side view of one embodiment of the bottom plate of the inner exhaust manifold assembly according to the present invention.

14C is a cross-sectional view taken along line 14C-14C of FIG. 14A.

FIG. 15 is an assembly view of one embodiment of a top manifold of an inner exhaust manifold assembly according to the present invention.

FIG. 16A is a plan view of the bottom plate of the top manifold of FIG. 15 according to one embodiment of the invention.

16B is a cross-sectional view of the bottom plate taken along the line 16B-16B in FIG. 16A.

FIG. 17A is a plan view of the top plate of the top manifold of FIG. 15 according to one embodiment of the invention.

17B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 17B-17B of FIG. 17A.

[Explanation of symbols]

120 Modular injector assembly 130 emission system 132 Ejection slot 140 Lower discharge plate 142 Upper discharge plate 210 discharge port

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Richard Matthisen             United States California             95066 Socots Valley Spread             Swing oak 140 (72) Inventor Samuel Kurita             United States California Soko             Ts Valley Baja Sol Drive               109 F term (reference) 4K030 AA06 AA14 BA44 CA04 EA03                       EA11 FA10 KA45 LA15                 5F045 AA03 AB32 AC00 AC01 AC07                       AC11 AF03 BB08 DP03 EF01

Claims (24)

[Claims] 1. Having at least two injectors,
The injector further includes a mounting plate disposed adjacent and spaced from each other to form at least one exhaust channel therebetween, and wherein each of the at least two injectors is mounted with a mounting plate for securing the at least two injectors. An injector set for supplying gas to a substrate, which can be individually attached to or detached from the plate, the attachment plate being provided with at least one exhaust slot in fluid communication with at least one exhaust channel. Three-dimensional. 2. The injector assembly of claim 1, wherein the injectors are of the same type. 3. The injector assembly of claim 1, wherein the injector is of a different type. 4. A single elongated member having an end surface and an elongated external gas supply surface, the gas supply surface extending along the length of the elongated member directly facing the substrate, At least one elongated passageway formed in the member and extending between the end faces for receiving gas; and at least one thin and elongated distribution slot formed in the single elongated member, the distribution slot having an elongated passageway The injector assembly of claim 1, wherein the injector assembly extends between the gas supply surface and supplies gas along the gas supply surface. 5. The injector assembly of claim 5, wherein the gas supply surface has a central recessed area. 6. The at least one slot extends along at least one length of the mounting plate and is at least one.
The injector assembly of claim 1, wherein the injector assembly is aligned with one exhaust channel. 7. The injector assembly of claim 1, further comprising an exhaust assembly coupled to the mounting plate for removing gas from the injector. 8. A lower exhaust plate coupled to the mounting plate, the lower exhaust plate provided with at least one exhaust channel in fluid communication with at least one exhaust slot of the mounting plate. And further comprising an upper discharge plate coupled to the lower discharge plate, the upper discharge plate being provided with at least one discharge port in fluid communication with at least one discharge channel of the lower discharge plate. The injector assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that 9. The at least one exhaust channel of the lower exhaust plate extends along a substantially greater length of the lower exhaust plate and is aligned with the at least one exhaust slot of the mounting plate. The injector assembly described. 10. The injector assembly according to claim 9, wherein at least one discharge channel of the lower discharge plate tapers along a height direction of the lower discharge plate. 11. The injector assembly of claim 10, wherein at least one discharge channel of the lower discharge plate is wide at the top surface of the lower discharge plate and narrow at the bottom surface. 12. The at least one exhaust port comprises a proximal elongate opening extending along a substantially long length of the upper evacuation plate, the elongate opening being inwardly tapered and the upper evacuation plate. 9. The injector assembly of claim 8 terminating in at least one port on the top surface of the injector. 13. The elongated opening terminates in a plurality of ports on the top surface of the upper discharge plate.
The injector assembly described. 14. The elongated opening is formed on the top surface of the upper discharge plate.
13. Terminating at one port, 13
The injector assembly described. 15. The at least two injectors have one or more inner injectors spaced adjacent to one another to form a first exhaust channel therebetween, one or more ends. An injector, the end injector is spaced apart and adjacent to the outside of the inner injector to form a second discharge channel with the inner injector, the discharge assembly further comprising: 8. The injector assembly of claim 7, including an inner exhaust manifold assembly in fluid communication with one exhaust channel and an outer exhaust manifold assembly in fluid communication with the second exhaust channel. . 16. The injector assembly of claim 15, wherein a hermetic seal is provided between the one or more end injectors and the one or more inner injectors. 17. The inner exhaust manifold assembly includes a plate having a plurality of through passages, a plurality of tubes connected to each of the plurality of through passages, a plurality of inlets and a single outlet of each tube. 16. The injector assembly according to claim 15, further comprising a balancing unit having a. 18. The balancing unit further comprises:
18. The injector assembly according to claim 17, wherein a plurality of channels are provided connecting the plurality of inlets and a single outlet. 19. The balancing unit has a bottom plate, the bottom plate having a plurality of concave channels extending inward toward the center and a plurality of inlets at each end of the concave channel. And further comprising a top plate, the top plate being provided with a plurality of concave channels extending inwardly toward the central region, the concave channel of the bottom plate and the central region of the top plate forming a mirror image relationship. 19. The injector assembly of claim 18, comprising a plurality of channels that connect the plurality of inlets with a single outlet. 20. A mounting plate having at least two injectors, the injectors being spaced apart and adjacent to each other to form at least one discharge channel therebetween, the mounting plate securing the at least two injectors. And each of the at least two injectors can be individually attached to or removed from the mounting plate, the mounting plate comprising:
At least one exhaust slot is provided in fluid communication with the at least one exhaust channel and further comprises an exhaust assembly coupled to the mounting plate for removing gas from the injector, the exhaust assembly comprising: An injector assembly comprising a balancing unit for forming a uniform flow of exhaust gas. 21. The at least two injectors have one or more inner injectors spaced adjacent to one another to form a first exhaust channel therebetween, one or more ends. An injector, the end injector is spaced apart and adjacent to the outside of the inner injector to form a second discharge channel with the inner injector, the discharge assembly comprising: An inner exhaust manifold assembly in fluid communication with the exhaust channel and an outer exhaust manifold assembly in fluid communication with the second exhaust channel, the inner exhaust manifold assembly being in fluid communication with the exhaust gas from the inner injector. 22. The injector assembly of claim 21, comprising a balancing unit provided with a plurality of channels in communication. 22. Providing one or more inner injectors, the inner injectors being spaced apart and adjacent to each other to form a first exhaust channel therebetween, one or more end injectors. The end injector is spaced apart and adjacent to the outside of the inner injector to form a second exhaust channel between the inner injector and the inner injector, and the end injector reacts through the inner injector and the end injector. Providing gas to the substrate; removing exhaust gas from the first exhaust channel through the inner exhaust manifold assembly; and removing exhaust gas from the second exhaust channel through the outer exhaust manifold assembly. A method of supplying a gas to a substrate. 23. Removing exhaust gas from the inner and end injectors comprises discharging gas from channels along the length of the bottom surface to ports on the top surface of the inner and outer exhaust manifold assemblies. 23. The method of claim 22, wherein: 24. Removing exhaust gas from the inner injector converges the exhaust gas from a plurality of inlets to a single central outlet through a plurality of channels provided in a balancing unit within the inner exhaust manifold assembly. 23. consisting of consisting of
The method described.